The Commonwealth of Learning held six Regional Consultations in the lead up to the 2nd World Open Educational Resources (OER) Congress, which is scheduled to be held in Ljubljana, Slovenia, from 18 to 20 September 2017.
The Regional Consultations were organised in partnership with UNESCO and the Government of Slovenia, and with the generous support of The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation. Each Regional Consultation was further organised in partnership with a ministry or other agency, as appropriate, in the respective host country.
The overall theme of the Regional Consultations was “OER for Inclusive and Equitable Quality Education: From Commitment to Action”, reflecting a strong focus on the role of OER in achieving Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG4).
The main objectives of the Regional Consultations were to:
The Regional Consultations included expert-facilitated workshops, pre-meeting activities and discussions. Ministers of Education, senior policy makers, expert practitioners, researchers and other institutional stakeholders were invited to take part in the events.
The Background Paper of the Regional Consultations for the 2nd OER World Congress lays the foundation for the project.
Le Document d’information sur les Consultations régionales en vue du 2e Congrès mondial des REL jette les bases du projet.
Survey for governments and institutional stakeholders
A related survey is being conducted in alignment with the framework of the Regional Consultations. The survey is being sent to government ministries and key stakeholders, as appropriate, and aims to establish a global understanding of national OER developments. The responses from the survey will be part of a consolidated global report on OER, to be made available at the 2nd World OER Congress.
The schedule of the Regional Consultations was as follows:
Asia
1-2 Dec 2016
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Europe
23-24 Feb 2017
Valletta, Malta
Middle East / North Africa
27-28 Feb 2017
Doha, Qatar
Africa
2-3 March 2017
Port Louis, Mauritius
Latin America and Caribbean
3-4 April 2017
São Paulo, Brazil
Pacific
29-30 May 2017
Auckland, New Zealand
About the 2nd World OER Congress
The 2nd World OER Congress will be held in Ljubljana, Slovenia, from 18 to 20 September 2017. It will be hosted by the Government of Slovenia and UNESCO, in partnership with the Commonwealth of Learning, the Hewlett Foundation, and Creative Commons. It builds on the World OER Congress, which was held in 2012 and organized by COL and UNESCO with the support of The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation. The World OER Congress highlighted ways in which OER are serving as tools for collaboration and the creation of learning resources. The Congress resulted in the adoption of the Paris OER Declaration, which notably encourages governments to openly license educational materials that are publicly funded.
About the OER Regional Consultation Steering Committee and Task Team
Activities on this project are carried out under the guidance of a multi-institutional Steering Committee, chaired by the President of COL. The Steering Committee is supported by a Task Team of experts drawn from participating institutions. The Task Team developed the background paper and the survey questionnaire through the consultative process. These documents were approved by the Steering Committee.
The Regional Consultations were organised in partnership with UNESCO and the Government of Slovenia, and with the generous support of The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation. Each Regional Consultation was further organised in partnership with a ministry or other agency, as appropriate, in the respective host country.
The overall theme of the Regional Consultations was “OER for Inclusive and Equitable Quality Education: From Commitment to Action”, reflecting a strong focus on the role of OER in achieving Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG4).
The main objectives of the Regional Consultations were to:
- Raise regional awareness about the importance of OER and its relationship to SDG4;
- Provide a hands-on experience for all participants to establish personal OER knowledge;
- Explore mechanisms to facilitate the mainstreaming of OER;
- Identify strategies and solutions to overcome the challenges or barriers to mainstreaming OER; and,
- Agree on inputs that factor into the planning of the 2nd World OER Congress.
The Regional Consultations included expert-facilitated workshops, pre-meeting activities and discussions. Ministers of Education, senior policy makers, expert practitioners, researchers and other institutional stakeholders were invited to take part in the events.
The Background Paper of the Regional Consultations for the 2nd OER World Congress lays the foundation for the project.
Le Document d’information sur les Consultations régionales en vue du 2e Congrès mondial des REL jette les bases du projet.
Survey for governments and institutional stakeholders
A related survey is being conducted in alignment with the framework of the Regional Consultations. The survey is being sent to government ministries and key stakeholders, as appropriate, and aims to establish a global understanding of national OER developments. The responses from the survey will be part of a consolidated global report on OER, to be made available at the 2nd World OER Congress.
The schedule of the Regional Consultations was as follows:
Asia
1-2 Dec 2016
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Europe
23-24 Feb 2017
Valletta, Malta
Middle East / North Africa
27-28 Feb 2017
Doha, Qatar
Africa
2-3 March 2017
Port Louis, Mauritius
Latin America and Caribbean
3-4 April 2017
São Paulo, Brazil
Pacific
29-30 May 2017
Auckland, New Zealand
About the 2nd World OER Congress
The 2nd World OER Congress will be held in Ljubljana, Slovenia, from 18 to 20 September 2017. It will be hosted by the Government of Slovenia and UNESCO, in partnership with the Commonwealth of Learning, the Hewlett Foundation, and Creative Commons. It builds on the World OER Congress, which was held in 2012 and organized by COL and UNESCO with the support of The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation. The World OER Congress highlighted ways in which OER are serving as tools for collaboration and the creation of learning resources. The Congress resulted in the adoption of the Paris OER Declaration, which notably encourages governments to openly license educational materials that are publicly funded.
About the OER Regional Consultation Steering Committee and Task Team
Activities on this project are carried out under the guidance of a multi-institutional Steering Committee, chaired by the President of COL. The Steering Committee is supported by a Task Team of experts drawn from participating institutions. The Task Team developed the background paper and the survey questionnaire through the consultative process. These documents were approved by the Steering Committee.
